SLIDE 1
Where do you go when you want a drink of water? I am sure like me you just go to the tap. Let me tell you about someone else who went for water. It was a lady, but she wasn't going to turn on the tap, or even get water from a bottle. This lady had to go to the local well. Two thousand years ago in the Middle East everyone got their water from the local well. This woman lived in a place called Sychar, which was in Samaria and she was a Samaritan.

SLIDE 2
One day she set off for the well as usual, it was around mid-day, the hottest time of the day. She went at this time to avoid seeing anyone because she had had a difficult life and she thought people wouldn’t understand her circumstances. When she arrived, she had quite a surprise. Normally, there would be no one there, but today there was a man, sitting, resting by the well. He was a stranger and she could tell that he was also a Jew. Now, Samaritans didn't speak to Jews. You see Samaritans and Jews didn't like one another at all. In fact, Jews went out of their way to avoid going anywhere near Samaria. But here was a Jew sitting by her well.

SLIDE 3
Then another surprise came – suddenly, the man spoke to her, "give me a drink" He said. The woman said, "You are a Jew and are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?’’

SLIDE 4
The man knew all about her troubles, He could see how unhappy she was and He also knew that He could help this poor lady. "If you only knew who I am, and how I can help you, instead of you giving me a drink, you'd be asking me for one. But it wouldn't be the water from the well, it would be living water from God."

SLIDE 5
But the lady didn’t understand, the well was deep and the man had nothing to draw water out with. The man at the well that day was Jesus, God's own Son and He wasn’t talking about water from the well.

SLIDE 6
Jesus said that living water was like a spring in our hearts and this spring is from God giving us hope, forgiveness, truth and peace. The woman had never heard anything like it, she didn’t know what to make of it all but Jesus told her that He knew all about her troubles.

You see, this lady was thirsty, she’d come to the well for water but actually she was thirsty for something else. Jesus knew all about her and that she was unhappy. She was so amazed at this and realised there was something extraordinary about this stranger.

SLIDE 7
Just then Jesus’ disciples turned up, they’d been into town to buy some food. What a shock they got to find Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman at the well!

SLIDE 8
Jesus told them that He had to be doing God’s work and that included sharing His love and hope with everyone.

SLIDE 9
Having heard what Jesus had to say, the woman wasted no time in heading back to the village to tell the people about the stranger at the well.

SLIDE 10
The woman had now forgotten all about the water she’d come for. She ran into the town shouting out for all to hear, “come see a Man who told me all I ever did!”

SLIDE 11
The people came out to listen to her as she told them all about the man she’d met at the well. They didn’t know what to make of what the woman was saying but it sounded interesting. Maybe they’d better go and listen to this man Jesus for themselves.

SLIDE 12
The people all came out of the town to hear what Jesus had to say and they believed in Him. They believed Jesus’ message of love, hope and forgiveness.

SLIDE 14
The crowd were so excited with Jesus’ message that they invited Him to stay in their village for a while, so that they could hear more of His teaching.

SLIDE 15
And, Jesus did stay in the village for a couple of days. The people listened and listened. As a result, many believed and trusted in Jesus.

Sometimes people think that being rich will make them happy, or becoming famous, or something else. But Jesus reminds us in the story that only He can give us all that we need to be content. The Samaritan woman found Jesus, the Saviour of the world that day and she was never the same again, she had found living water than would never run dry.